When Coppell’s Spareribs LaMothe reached the 25.5-mile point of Monday’s Boston Marathon, he saw people standing around on the course.

“I couldn’t figure out why people were milling around,” said LaMothe, who was on pace to run a 4-hour, 40-minute marathon, his slowest ever.

He and other runners were told then told there had been two big explosions and the race was cancelled. LaMothe said he hadn’t heard what officials believe were two bombs that detonated within five seconds of each other near the finish line on Boylston Street.

His initial thought was, ‘It must be some sort of prank,’ he said. He had to be told multiple times before reality sank in.

“There was chaos and confusion,” he said. “We couldn’t get any information.”

One of the biggest challenges was reclaiming his personal valuables including his phone, which he had left in a designated drop bag, he said. Race officials initially would not allow runners to retrieve their gear because the buses with the runners’ drop bags weren’t in a safe zone. Officials ultimately relocated the buses a safe distance from the finish line.

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